In The Long Run

Farm Operators No Longer Have Lower Levels of Educational Attainment

Educational attainment is an indicator of human capital; it provides an individual with knowledge and skills that can lead to future earnings and the ability to adapt to changing environments. Historically, farm operators had lower levels of educational attainment than other persons, including metro and nonmetro residents. However, the gap has closed over the past half century, despite farmers being generally older than the other groups and age having a negative association with educational attainment. Farmers are now less likely to not complete high school than either metro and nonmetro residents. And, they are more likely than nonmetro residents to have some college education.

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